EIGHT HOURS’ DAY

Hokitika Guardian, 29 February 1928, Page 1

EIGHT HOURS’ DAY

(Australian «fe N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, Feb. 27. In the Commons, in Committee on the Civil Service Estimates, JL' Shaw moved a reduction, as a protest against Britain’s non-ratification of the Washington Eight Hours Convention, declaring that Britain’s tailure to honour the bond had torpedoed the Convention. Mr Betterton, replying, said the reason the Government had not ratified the Convention, despite the fact that ninety-five per cent of the people in Britain worked only forty-eight hours per week, was that existing industrial agreements, affecting hundreds of thousands of British workers, would be imperilled by the ratification of the Convention, as it was at present drafted. If the Labourites really wanted to secure the position of workers throughout the world, they would support Britain’s efforts to amend the Convention, which was at present variousy interpreted in different countries. Sir Steel Maitland, in closing the debate, said there was never any obligation on the part of the Government to ratify the Convention, so that there could not he any question of breach of faith. It was clear that the Labour Party wished to ratify the Washington Convention, as it now stood. Mr Shaw, interupting, indignantly denied this. Sir Steel Maitland: Then I do not know where Mr Shaw stands. A fortyeight hour week could be illegal in many industries, under any domestic legislation founded on the W asliLngton Convention. If we pressed for revision. he did not think there would he any fundamental difference between ourselves and France. The motion was defeated by 214 to 19S, and the vote was agreed to.